FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Mississippi State suffered its first regular-season defeat in Southeastern Conference play since 2023 on Sunday in a loss that will have conference title implications. The defending regular-season conference champions lost 4-2 to No. 7 Arkansas on the road, failing to capitalize on a 2-0 lead in the first half.
“I’m really proud of the performance from these ladies, and more importantly the fight,” head coach Nick Zimmerman said despite the defeat. “You know, coming to Arkansas is not an easy place to play. They haven’t lost here in five years. To come out and start the way we did and then respond to keep getting chances throughout the game was really encouraging. Their goalkeeper did a really good job for them, and we hit the crossbar multiple times and had some chances. This is a great game for us to see where we’re at and get back to work.”
The Bulldogs began the match with a bang, scoring on a breakaway goal through Zoe Main after just three minutes of play. A turnover by the Razorbacks led to a quick ball in behind the defense by Adia Symmonds into the path of Main, who held off a defender to strike the ball into the far corner of the goal. It was her fourth goal of the campaign, and a play reminiscent of the goal she scored in the NCAA Tournament against Washington last season.
The positive play continued into Arkansas territory, where Tatum Borman doubled the lead with a beautifully placed strike into the top right corner from the edge of the box. Borman cut inside from the left onto her right foot, and was almost invited to shoot with the sight of goal presented to her. She obliged and put her team in a great spot just six minutes into the match.
The Razorbacks controlled possession for the remainder of the half, pushing for goals to claw their way back into the match. They had one effort chalked off due to offside, but were awarded a penalty to pull one back before the break.
Coming out of halftime, Arkansas struck almost immediately to equalize. Kyndal Ewertz latched onto a low cross into the box with a one-time strike perfectly into the bottom corner. Ten minutes later, the hosts took the lead on a free kick cross onto the head of Taylor Berman, and suddenly the Bulldogs’ fast start was a distant memory. Zimmerman’s side continued to press for goals, hitting the frame of the goal twice in search of an answer, but failed to find the net again. Ewertz added her second of the night in the 82nd minute to seal the win.
The result puts the Razorbacks in the driver’s seat atop the SEC league table with four games remaining. The Bulldogs will have to hope for another slip-up by both Arkansas and Tennessee to regain hope of defending their title.
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